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I have three sons who all attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. They all played lacrosse on the Men’s Lacrosse Team. We bleed Carolina Blue and love to follow the UNC Men’s Basketball team. I recently received a Carolina Facebook post about recognizing your teammates for their contributions.

Thanks for the pass or T4TP has been a tradition of the Tarheel basketball team. A player gives a T4TP by pointing his finger to recognize the team member who gave him the assist for a basket.

T4TP can apply to all of us as court reporters, transcriptionists, or proofreaders in our professional lives. It also applies to those among us who volunteer for our Association as committee members and directors. We all work together as a team to accomplish our mutual goals. The goals may vary, but we are stronger working together as a team. Make sure to thank the other players on your team by acknowledging their “assist.”

That brings me to our AAERT team. It is nominating season. You have an opportunity to choose who the leaders are for your Association. The game we play is fulfilling the goals and carrying on our responsibilities on education, certification, and networking opportunities for our members. Included in your leadership’s responsibilities is the promotion of electronic reporting and transcription and to defend this ever-advancing method of capturing the record when there are challenges to our profession. If you are interested in becoming a member of Team AAERT, get active on a committee, attend conference, write an article, or create CEU material. An added bonus is you can earn CEU credits along the way. There are many ways that you can become involved. If you know of others in our profession who possess the skills, knowledge, and leadership qualities that you think will make a difference, approach them and nominate them for director.

I am happy to report that our AAERT certifications, the CET® and CER®, have been accepted as one of the certifications required to provide transcription services for the Massachusetts courts. I want to welcome all of our new members from Massachusetts and those who wish to attain our certifications. The Certification Committee, chaired by K.C. Corbin CER, CET, opened the spring certification testing early to give these new members the opportunity to get certified and comply with the new Massachusetts regulations.

I hear the question from transcribers asking, “Why do I need to get certified?” And, “What does a certification do for me?” I have several responses to these questions. One of the primary goals of our Association is to increase the number of certified members. We see an increasing number of state courts and government agencies requiring some form of certification to provide our services. Massachusetts is an example of this. This will mean more work for certified members. Aside from the economic benefit, there is personal gain as well. A certification attests to your level of achievement. You have demonstrated a skill level that separates you from all the rest. It also demonstrates that you take pride in your profession and that you have a desire to keep educating yourself. Do the math. What is the relative cost per page to get and maintain a certification? The benefits far outweigh the cost.

Arrangements for the 2017 AAERT Conference in Atlanta are progressing rapidly. Plans are on the table to offer a multitude of sessions that will benefit you personally, professionally, and possibly physically. If you need to load up on your CEUs, this is the time and place to do so. You can earn CEUs for attending our sessions. Look forward to further updates as our Conference Committee finalizes the agenda.

I want to take advantage of this opportunity to give a T4TP to all of our volunteers and management team and those who believe and promote electronic court reporting and transcription.